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Harran is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. It is first documented around 2300 BCE. According to the Book of Genesis, Abraham stayed in Harran sometime around 1900 BCE. It was famous for the worship of Sin, the Moon God. Worship of the Moon, Sun and the planets was popular from 800 BCE to 800 CE.
Harran is famous for its beehive houses, whose design dates back to the 3rd century BCE. They were designed to construct buildings without wood.
The Kale (castle) with a mosque inside is interesting. There was originally a Hittite fortress. Today's castle is from 1059.
The Ulu Cami was built in the 8th century. It has very non-Turkish square minaret. It is said to be the oldest mosque in Turkey. It is also the site of the first Islamic university. On the hill are the ruins of old Harran, dating back 5000 years.
10 km east of Harran is an underground quarry that delivered the stones for the construction of the buildings in Harran.
Another 20 km east is the Seljuk Han el Ba'rur, a caravanserai, built in 1128.
About 12 km north-east of there is Şuayipşehri. The prophet Jethro is supposed to have lived there.
About 20 km north of Şuayıipşehri is the village Soğmatar. It was an ancient center for the worship of the Moon God Sin. There are seven hills around the village with shrines for the Moon, the Sun, and the five planets. In the village is a cave-temple with large figures carved out of the walls.
Ulu Cami, a mosque with a square minaret. (495k)
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The square minaret. (302k)
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Details on the Ulu Cami. (606k)
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Ruins on the hill above the Ulu Cami, dating back as far as 5000 years ago. (561k)
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Harran with beehive houses. (536k)
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Beehive houses. (455k)
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Inside one of the beehive houses. (467k)
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In the Kale, the fortress. (750k)
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Inside the Kale was first a church, then a mosque. You can see some of the layers. (474k)
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A round tower in the Kale. (442k)
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The huge cave of the underground quarry. The narrow cut in the wall in the middle is about 15m (15') high. (472k)
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The Han el Ba'rur caravanserai. (491k)
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Şuayipşehri (655k)
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Şuayipşehri (886k)
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One of the hills around Soğmatar with a worship center. (421k)
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Rock-carved figure in the open-air temple of Moon God Sin (540k)
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Rock-carved figure in the open-air temple of Moon God Sin (514k)
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Assyrian inscriptions on the hill with the Moon God temple. (751k)
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Figures on the walls of the cave-temple in Soğmatar. (643k)
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Figure on the wall of the cave-temple in Soğmatar. (761k)
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Inscriptions on the wall of the cave-temple in Soğmatar. (703k)
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All pictures are © Günther Eichhorn
Harran on guenther-eichhorn.com
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